A black and tan Border Collie, standing in a mountainous Highland landscape with sheep and a loch in the distance. In the foreground is a rug of Balmoral tartan and a sketchbook and painting equipment belonging to the Queen. 

Queen Victoria owned a number of collies who were called Noble. The dog in this painting is the most famous of them all, Noble IV (1871-87), who had been given to the Queen by Lady Charles Innes-Kerr, daughter-in-law of the Duchess of Roxburghe, in 1872. He died at Balmoral on 18 September 1887: ‘my darling old Noble… a grevious loss to me of a real friend’. 

When Queen Victoria saw this picture on 3 March 1875 she thought it ‘excellent’. Barber was paid £55 for the picture on 12 May 1875. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1875 and placed at Osborne.

Provenance: Painted for Queen Victoria.

Text from Royal Collection Trust website

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Osborne House, Isle of Wight
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Charles Burton Barber (1845-94)
Date: 1875

Image Details
Date: 11 June 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a Royal Collection Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.